September is here, and with it comes a very exciting update! We have someone new joining our team! As of the 19th of October, we have a new veterinarian starting, and without giving too much away, they come with many years of experience and knowledge. They graduated in 2009 (a year before Dr David), have a massive passion for small animal dentistry and oral surgery and completed their membership examinations in 2021. We will release more information about our new team member in our next newsletter.
So with dental in mind, here is some important information about pet oral health.
Regular dental care is vital to maintain healthy teeth and gums and helps ensure you have a happy, pain-free pet. However, dental disease can lead to severe health problems if not treated. Besides the obvious effects of bad breath, painful teeth and gums, dental disease can result in infections and life-threatening kidney, liver and heart disease.
In animals, the most common problem is periodontal disease. Tartar builds up and irritates the gums around the base of the teeth. The resulting inflammation is gingivitis. The gums ultimately recede, exposing the roots, leading to infection and tooth loss.
Dry food, canine chews, and other gnawing toys reduce the amount of tartar accumulating on the teeth due to the mechanical abrasive action. However, once tartar has formed, professional cleaning under a general anaesthetic is necessary to remove it.
Correct teeth cleaning requires the complete co-operation of the patient so plaque and tartar can be removed properly. For animals, general anaesthesia is required to clean the teeth thoroughly. Although anaesthesia always carries a degree of risk, the modern drugs in practice today minimise this risk, even for older pets. For all our dentals, we always perform an initial blood test to evaluate liver and kidney function and the patient's general health status. We also place our patients on intravenous (IV) fluids to help stabilise their vitals during anaesthesia. Depending on the damage to your pets' teeth, we may also take dental X-rays of their mouth to expose any hidden damage or locate the roots of affected teeth that may need to be extracted.
Four steps in the cleaning process performed on our patients:
Scaling removes the tartar above and below the gum line. This is done with hand instruments and ultrasonic cleaning equipment.
Polishing smoothes the surface of the teeth, making them resistant to additional plaque formation.
Flushing removes dislodged tartar from the teeth and helps to remove the bacteria that accompany tartar.
Fluoride coating decreases teeth sensitivity, strengthens enamel, and decreases the rate of future plaque formation.
For more information about dental disease or surgical procedures, contact our friendly staff at 3288 1822 or email us at info@goodnavet.com.au.
